


Haze

by whoviee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Hook-Up, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mafia AU, OR IS IT, Set in India, idk - Freeform, tbh even i don't know, wait what's happening
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2019-07-27 17:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16223804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoviee/pseuds/whoviee
Summary: “Tell me about yourself.”That’s not exactly the post-hookup question Taeyong was expecting, but he answers anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

“Would you rather I stay or leave?” Jaehyun asks, awkwardly standing at Taeyong’s doorway.

 

“That’s entirely up to you.” Taeyong says from where he’s sprawled on his bed, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone.

 

Jaehyun raises an unimpressed eyebrow in response. Taeyong looks up.

 

“Stay. I like cuddles.” Taeyong relents, scooting over to one side of the bed.

 

\---

 

“Tell me about yourself.” 

 

That’s not exactly the post-hookup question Taeyong was expecting, but he answers anyway.

 

“What do you want to know?” He wriggles in Jaehyun’s arms, turning to face the boy in question.

 

“Something other than your name, preferably,” Up close, Taeyong can see the damage he’s done to Jaehyun’s hair, and the scattered marks he’ll have to cover up in the morning.

 

“I major in sound engineering, I like to rap, and I can dance pretty well, too. And, before you ask, no, my parents do not work at Hyundai,” At this, Jaehyun lightly laughs.

 

“How come you’re here, then? I don’t see many Korean students in India.”

 

“My mother heads the Samsung branch here,” He replies, “I don’t really like it here, though.”

 

“Neither do I,” Jaehyun shrugs, and faces the  _ seelan _ infested ceiling of the poorly lit room.

 

“What about you? Do your parents work at Hyundai?” Taeyong’s voice is much softer now, as he shuffles closer, leaning his head on Jaehyun’s chest.

 

“Yeah, unfortunately. But it’s good in a way, I guess. There are great IT courses here,” Jaehyun ends up mumbling the latter half of his sentence, his voice enduring a constant diminuendo as he gets drowsy. 

 

“So what are you studying?” Taeyong prods, tangling his and Jaehyun’s legs together.

 

“Something to do with health? I don’t remember anymore..” His words become slurred, and a slight, endearing accent decorates them. 

 

“You’re cute,” Taeyong whispers, giggling at his own words. He doesn’t miss the way Jaehyun buries his face in his pink hair, or the way he holds him tighter.

 

\---

 

“You slept with THE Lee Taeyong? What the fuck bro?”

 

“Don’t ‘bro’ me, Yuta, I think we’ve been over this.”

 

Jaehyun and Yuta have been official best friends from the first day of college, when they were both questioned on whether they eat dogs in China. 

 

“But you hooked up with Lee Taeyong? The sound engineering guy? The one who makes killer  _ rajma-chawal _ ? The ice-prince?” Yuta asks with an unhealthy amount of energy for an 8 AM coffee run.

 

“He isn’t much of an ice-prince, not really,” Jaehyun replies, sipping on his Espresso Overload ™,  a drink he had customised for the campus coffee shop, “Why are you so interested, anyway?”

 

“He’s well-known. People have asked him out, but he never says yes. He has a bit of a reputation,” Yuta clarifies, glaring at his coffee as if it had personally offended him. Which, it had, really, considering it tasted like some form of petroleum.

 

“He doesn’t seem like that.. he’s actually kind of cute,” Jaehyun takes a sip of his coffee to cover is blush.

 

“Aw, Jaehyunnie has a crush!”

 

“On whom?”

 

The questioning voice belonged to the rest of their friend group - one Kim Doyoung.

 

He settled down next to them, picking up the drink they’d already ordered for him. “Who does Jaehyun like?”

 

“He slept with Lee Taeyong,” Yuta informs.

 

Doyoung splutters on his drink, “You slept with THE Lee Taeyong? The one who cooks killer  _ rajma-chawal _ ?”

 

“How have I never heard of him before?” Jaehyun was genuinely perplexed now, “Anyway, weirder things have happened.”

 

“No, I don’t think-”

 

“My mother called.”

 

“Oh tea sis,” Yuta remarked, Doyoung nodding along almost religiously.

 

Jaehyun sighes.

 

\---

 

“You what?”

 

“I hooked up with a cute boy.”

 

“THE Lee Taeyong did that? The ice-prince? The one who makes killer  _ rajma-chawal _ ?”

 

“I’m not an ice-prince,” Taeyong mumbles into the textbook on which he’s resting his head, his best friend sitting opposite him, “Why does everyone call me an ice prince?”

 

“I mean, you don’t go out with anyone, and you have, like, three friends. Plus you have this whole ‘don’t touch me’ aesthetic going on… And your resting bitch face,” Ten supplies helpfully, then returns to the topic at hand, “How did cute-guy even have the courage to say anything to you?”

 

“I don’t know, he probably didn’t see my face, it was all hazy anyway,” Taeyong shrugs, not knowing why he’s indulging Ten.

“Do you remember his name?” Ten continues his line of question.

 

“It’s Jaehyun. Do you know him?”

 

“Jung Jaehyun? Yeah, Johnny’s mentioned him, he’s cute,” Ten has that wistful look on his face again, Taeyong notes.

 

“He really is…” Taeyong trails off, definitely not thinking of a certain someone.

 

\---

 

“Just go!”

 

“Let me be, Doyoung-hyung!”

 

Unfortunately, Jaehyun was not let alone, and instead shoved in the direction of his not-crush. _ “That’s what you get for not respecting me otherwise!” _

 

“Taeyong! Uh, hi!” He greeted, his tone soft.

 

“Eek, how to greet,” Jaehyun looked confused at his words, “Shit, did I say that out loud?”

 

“It’s okay, umm, you’re cu- cute?” Poorly, he mimicked Taeyong’s last words that night.

 

Taeyong laughed, and Jaehyun blushed. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

 

A short silence ensued. 

 

“Do you wanna get a coffee or something, if you’re free?” Taeyong asked hopefully, completely disregarding his previous words.

 

_ Fuck singing practice, it’s not like they’ll kick me out, anyway. _ “Sure, I’d love that, Taeyong, uh hyung?” Again, Jaehyun was blushing.

 

“Drop the honorific, it makes me feel old.”

 

“Okay, Taeyong.” That seemed to make the said man blush, for once.

 

\---

 

They did kick him out. But Jaehyun wasn’t complaining, not when he had new marks across his collarbones and a new contact in his phone, and maybe, just maybe, a crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic!!! Feedback is appreciated.
> 
> Seelan is this dampness that appears on walls, it makes paint chip.
> 
> Rajma chawal is a dish of kidney beans with rice, you can look it up.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


	2. Chapter 2

“You really like this place, huh?” Taeyong asks from the top of his coffee cup, ignoring the lather that has collected on his nose.

 

“I hate it, actually. The coffee is pathetic,” Jaehyun shrugs, his eyes darting from Taeyong’s nose to his own coffee cup, “I prefer tea, anyways.”

 

Taeyong notices. He always notices.

“So why do you come here so often? There’s a Starbucks close by.”

 

“I passionately dislike Starbucks,” Jaehyun fails to elaborate, attempting instead to down his cup in one go, which, for obvious reasons - Taeyong’s laugh - he fails to do.

 

“You don’t even need that much caffeine, it’s barely four.”

 

“You don’t have a lecture on security regarding health records, do you?” Jaehyun grumbles, face-planting on the wooden table. 

 

Taeyong laughs again, and Jaehyun resists the urge to wipe off the bubbles of coffee on his nose.

 

\---

 

“You’re fucked.”

 

“Not as badly as you.”

 

“Oh, fuck off,” Yuta was pathetically lounging on Jaehyun’s bed, an open Chemistry textbook on his chest, complaining about his non-existent love life, “At least your crush knows you exist!”

 

“Oh my crush  _ definitely _ knows I exist. But, I don’t know, maybe it’s because I slept with him?” Jaehyun levels Yuta with an unimpressed glare, “I don’t know, I could be wrong.”

 

“You’re so mean, Jaehyun!” Yuta whines. Picking up the textbook, he’s ready to throw it at Jaehyun’s head, when he realises its worth and slowly places it back on his chest.

 

They sit in relative silence, only interrupted by the constant buzz of the fan and Yuta’s occasional groans of frustration. 

 

“You should talk to him,” Jaehyun suggests, turning in his Very Cool Swiveling Chair ™ , after he’s written up an entire two pages worth of information.

 

“I don’t think Sicheng wants to talk to me,” Yuta sighs.  He sits up and stares at his textbook for a good ten seconds before he continues, “I think he likes Taeil.”

 

“The short guy in the Chinese programme? He has red hair, right?”

 

Yuta nods, affirmative.

 

“He has a thing going on with Doyoung,” Jaehyun enthusiastically jumps on the bed, “You won’t believe what I saw-”

 

“What? When?” 

 

“Uh, two days ago,” There’s a questioning edge to Jaehyun’s words, as if he’s anticipating something unpleasant.

 

“Jung Jaehyun, I can’t believe you’ve done this, after all we’ve been through! I can’t believe you still withhold tea from me! I’m sorry, this is not how  _ bhaicharya _ works! Get out of my room!”

 

Yep. Definitely expected that.

 

“Yuta, this is my room.”

 

“ _ Jo mera hai, voh tera hai.  _ Now fuck off,” Yuta’s full-on pouting, theatrically throwing himself on the bed.

 

Needless to say, it’s one of Jaehyun’s more dramatic exits.

 

\---

He does not know what to expect when he knocks on the mahogany door.

“I’ve been exiled from my own room, how’s your day going?”

 

It’s not pink hair pushed back with a hairband.

 

Taeyong laughs at that, “My day is going fine, come in,” 

 

Jaehyun steps into Taeyong’s immaculate room, and hears the door lock behind him.

 

“And why, may I enquire, were you thrown out of your room?” 

 

“Something about violating  _ bhaicharya _ , I don’t know, Yuta gets weird when he has a crush,” Jaehyun shrugs, “I was only trying to reassure him.”

 

Taeyong hums, pouring kettle-warmed water into a cup with a tea bag and handing it to him. “You said you liked tea more than coffee,” He explains.

 

Jaehyun has the overwhelming urge to kiss him, and this time, he doesn't resist.

 

\---

 

“Do you think Yuta knows you're here?” 

 

They're just lazing around now, dressed in poor quality, college-issued bathrobes, smelling of Taeyong’s strawberry shampoo.

 

“He probably fell asleep in my bed,” Jaehyun remarks, trying to comfortably fit in Taeyong's queen-sized bed.

 

“Who did you say he has a crush on?” Taeyong's voice is muffled by all the shifting, and when he finally settles in Jaehyun's embrace, he sees the younger staring at him with an indescribable look in his eyes. 

 

It was only the third time that Taeyong spoke did Jaehyun register the question, answering with a simple, “I didn't say,” His face then takes on a teasing lilt, “That's disrespecting  _ bhaicharya _ .”

 

“You're ridiculous,” Taeyong snuggles closer to him, and begins to stroke his hair.

 

“Joke’s on you, I already know,” Jaehyun's tone falls again, and his words carry the same endearing accent.

 

“How were you trying to reassure him?”

 

He receives no coherent response.

 

“You always get so disoriented when you're sleepy, it's adorable,” With Jaehyun's head at the crook of his neck, Taeyong feels content, and his eyes catch the ever-expanding  _ seelan _ on his ceiling. He smiles.

 

\---

 

It's well past midnight when Jaehyun returns to his room to find Yuta and Doyoung playing  _ taash _ with his antique card collection, and he definitely doesn't resist the urge to smack them both with a conveniently placed Chemistry textbook.

  
The growing  _ seelan  _ on his ceiling does not go unnoticed by him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the positive response!! I didn't expect so many people to like this!!!
> 
> 'Bhaicharya' is brotherhood/bromance but in this context it's more like 'bro code' or something.
> 
> 'Jo mera hai voh tera hai' literally translates to 'What's mine is yours'.
> 
> 'Taash' is a popular card game.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! It was quite fun to write.  
> Also Regular?? is?? such?? a?? bop?? like how??  
> As always, feedback is appreciated!!


	3. Chapter 3

“Get up, Taeyong,” Jaehyun murmured into Taeyong’s hair, making him giggle.

 

“Why? It’s like, nine or something,” He replied, cuddling up to Jaehyun’s side, hooking his chin over Jaehyun's shoulder.

 

“It's almost eleven thirty, and I'm pretty sure you have a class at twelve…” He trailed off, eyes catching Taeyong's blue walls, and the absence of the ever-present  _ seelan _ . “What happened to the university? Are they painting our walls now?”

 

“No, just mine,” The inhabitant of the room replied, his words muffled into Jaehyun's neck. “I kind of miss the  _ seelan _ , though,” He props himself up, deeming the conversation over with the way he peppers Jaehyun's face with kisses and rolls off the bed. Jaehyun just lies there, staring at the place where the  _ seelan _ used to be, feeling oddly nostalgic, and understandably confused.

 

\---

 

Doyoung’s eyes scanned the cafe. Jaehyun and Yuta had long since abandoned him, choosing to attend to their - in Doyoung’s words, not theirs - crushes. He was waiting for the dreaded rush hour of four o’ clock, killing his time while browsing for Diwali gifts on his phone. He was one of the few left in the negligently-decorated cafe, and had taken the liberty of playing his music out loud, not loud enough to disturb the student near the counter, but loud enough to piss off the perpetually annoyed, fifty-something creep who worked there. Doyoung disliked him with a passion, and always took it upon himself to passive-aggressively frustrate the waiter.

 

As the last notes of SHINee’s Lucifer died out, a red-haired male entered through the unironically cheerful yellow door. Doyoung noticed him everyday, how he would very smartly skip the last five minutes of class and speed-walk to the cafe for his fix, narrowly missing the onslaught of sleep-deprived students. It amused him to no end, and maybe that’s what prompted him to introduce himself to the man over a month ago. 

 

Today, Moon Taeil sat opposite him with his under-caffeinated drink, giving him a light peck on his cheek before asking about his day. 

 

“It was mediocre. How was yours?”

 

“Alright. Better now that you’re here,” Taeil smiled at him, sipping his coffee. Doyoung smiled back, a bashful crimson coating his cheeks.

 

They drink in relative silence, content in each other's company. Then, out of the blue, Doyoung asks, “You know Sicheng, right?”

 

“Yeah, he's a friend of mine,” Taeil replied, unsure until realisation hit him, “Is this about Yuta?”

 

“Yep,” Doyoung answered, popping the 'p’. “Does Sicheng know he exists?”

 

“He does,” Taeil affirms, “But I don't think he sees Yuta they way Yuta sees him.”

 

Doyoung hums in acknowledgement, finishing his coffee. He could hear the oncoming of caffeine-deprived, soulless creatures, and he wanted to avoid it. “Are you free after this?”

 

“I have an assignment to work on, do you want to join me in the library?” Taeil already knew Doyoung's answer. He stood up and held his hand out, which Doyoung took gratefully. They walked out of the cafe, hands intertwined.

 

\---

 

“Do you know if Taeyong has any affiliations with the university?” Jaehyun questioned Yuta over his laptop, resting his jaw atop the screen.

 

“Am I supposed to know that?” Yuta’s eyes didn’t wander from his assignment as he answered, leaving Jaehyun to sigh and contemplate on his own. “Why do you ask?” He eventually relented, done with his sixth paragraph for the day.

 

“He got his walls painted… they don’t do that for everyone, do they?” One of Jaehyun’s eyebrows shot up in inquiry. Yuta considered this, then scanned the section of the library they were seated in. When he found no one suspicious, he hopped over the desk to Jaehyun’s side.

 

“Let’s do some research on your boyfriend, shall we?”

 

\---

 

An hour and twelve open tabs later, Yuta found what he was looking for. Jaehyun had since dozed off, mouth hanging open as he snored softly.

 

“ _ Uttho _ , look what I found!” Yuta shook Jaehyun violently, effectively waking him up.

 

“What do you want?” It came out more of a whine than a question, but Jaehyun sat up regardless, rolling his neck to ease the built up tension.

 

“So that’s Taeyong’s mom,” Yuta pointed at a picture of a middle aged woman, expressionless, as she looked into the camera. “I couldn’t find his father, but that’s not important. What is important is the scar on her face. See, there, next to her ear,” Yuta zoomed into the photo and pointed at a faint scar near the woman’s ear. “Is that a sign for something, Jaehyun?” He stared up at Jaehyun in expectation, who had gone completely still.

 

“It’s not a scar, it’s a brand,” Jaehyun finally replied, voice tight, his fingers hovering over the mark. 

 

“Do your parents work with them, too?” Yuta questioned, completely unfazed. He rested his head on his crossed arms, not looking at the boy in question.

 

“Possibly, I don’t - I don’t know,” Jaehyun inhaled deeply, suddenly distressed as he put his head in his hands. 

 

“Are you alright?” Yuta looked over, concern overtaking his features.

 

“Maybe? God, what have I done,” Jaehyun pushed himself back in his chair, sighing. He rubbed his neck, fingers finding a hickey Taeyong had left there.

 

“Fuck.”

 

\--- 

 

“Sichengie, did you get what I asked for?”

 

“Yes, it was hard though. Where the fuck was I supposed to find that stuff?”

 

“Wherever you did find it.”

 

A roll of eyes. “You’re welcome, asshole.”

 

“Thank you,  _ bachhe _ .”

 

Another roll of eyes, followed by retreating footsteps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uttho is another way of saying 'get up'  
> Bacche is an affectionate term for child, but it can be seen as an insult at times.
> 
> Sorry for such a long delay! Writers block sucks.  
> I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!


	4. Chapter 4

“When were you planning to tell me you’re affiliated with NCT?”

 

“How do you know that? If it was Sicheng I swear I’m gonna-”

 

“Sicheng knows about this?” Jaehyun cuts Taeyong off, and now they’re both awkwardly lying in bed, spent from their previous activities.

 

“That’s beside the point,” Taeyong scoots up into a sitting position on his bed, draping the blanket over himself. “How do you even  _ know of _ NCT?”

 

“My parents,” Jaehyun figures it was safe to tell him, considering it was through his mother that Taeyong was aware of NCT’s existence.

 

“Same here,” Taeyong lets his head fall back against his bed’s headboard, looking up at fresh  _ seelan _ peeking from his newly painted ceiling. “If it wasn’t Sicheng, how did you figure it out?”

 

“University doesn’t paint their ceilings for anyone. I guessed there was something up with that, so Yuta and I did some research. We found an old photo of your mom, and I recognised the brand on her face,” Jaehyun shivered, the absence of blanket making him inch towards Taeyong. “I wasn’t expecting something like that.”

 

Taeyong covers his shoulders with the blanket, effectively pressing their bodies against each other’s, “And what did you expect?”

 

Jaehyun took the final step and wrapped an arm around Taeyong, who immediately snaked both his arms around Jaehyun’s shoulders and settled half on top of, half beside him. “Maybe your mother made some donations, or she has some illicit connections… I wasn’t expecting her to have been a part of the South Korean mafia.”

 

“They aren’t the South Korean mafia… that’s SM,” Taeyong fitted his head in the crook of Jaehyun’s neck, exhaling harshly before closing his eyes.

 

“Is that all you have to say?” Jaehyun looked down, his gaze only met with fading pink hair.

 

“Yes.”

 

\---

 

Their routine doesn't change. It's slightly uncomfortable afterwards, both aware of the extent of each other's knowledge, but it doesn't change, not in the slightest. They even have a movie night every Thursday.

Which was the day Ten picked to drag his best friend to whichever bar Johnny had a gig at, claiming it was 'best friend time’. Taeyong knew how long that was going to last.

 

“I can't just ditch Jaehyun! Let me tell him at least,” Taeyong huffed as Ten attempted to drag him out of his dorm, for which he's even bought scented candles. 

 

“You should've already told your boyfriend! You're so useless, Taeyong!” Ten whined, incessantly tugging at Taeyong's free hand, the other occupied with his phone. 

 

“He's not my boyfriend,” Taeyong hissed before calling Jaehyun, who answered on the second ring.

 

“We can't do movie night tonight, Ten's dragging me to some bar… yeah, I know - okay - sure, I guess - I'll miss you too, bye!”

 

“Are you sure he's not your boyfriend?” Ten looked genuinely confused, defying his usual attention span of seven seconds. 

 

“I'm sure. Let's go,  _ jayenge toh ayenge _ .”

 

\---

 

They were at Drippin’. Of all nightclubs Johnny could have chosen, he chose  _ Drippin’ _ . It's not like they were bad memories, Taeyong reasoned with himself, but they weren't exactly good either. This is where he met Jaehyun.

 

_ The smoke machines had worked overtime that day, mirroring the smog in the city. It wasn't even the weekend, yet the club was crowded, music reverberating against the well-maintained walls, leaving an odd metallic sound in its wake. The lights were set unusually dim, as if the club was trying to keep its secrets to itself. And it was, Taeyong's ears had picked up the somber buzz that came before every business deal: the low murmur of posh, educated voices, the plastered hums of absent-minded acknowledgement, the hollow laughs, all asking for this to be done already, we want to go home. But that wasn't the only thing he picked up on. _

 

_ An unexpected presence introduced itself by the appearance of a nicely-proportioned, well-meaning but sinful individual. Taeyong noticed him right away, and armed himself with liquid courage before approaching.  _

 

_ “Hello.” _

 

_ The mysterious stranger turned around, revealing sharp features complemented with a dimpled-smile. _

 

_ “Hi. Didn't see you there.” _

 

_ Taeyong almost forgot why he was there. _

 

_ Almost. _

 

Ten snapped Taeyong out of his stupor, dragging him to the booth near the dancefloor.

 

“I'm gonna ask Johnny to be my boyfriend,” He told Taeyong, stopping outside the booth. Taeyong just nodded in encouragement, still lost in his thoughts. 

 

As soon as they entered, Ten wrapped his arms around Johnny. And while they passionately made out, Taeyong quietly left.

\---

 

Jaehyun was in the middle of his drama when he got the call, and he was never more grateful for putting down his popcorn.

 

\---

 

“Are you hungover?”

 

“No, I'm just tired. I went out last night,” Their professor had not yet arrived, and Jaehyun was taking full advantage of it by napping uncomfortably on his desk. Yuta just rolled his eyes.

 

“Where'd you go? Somewhere with Taeyong?” He asked, uselessly flipping through his textbook, knowing fully well how much of it he'd read.

 

“Yeah. You know that nightclub? Where Johnny sometimes DJs? We went there. It was fun,” Jaehyun had given up on his nap now, seeing as their professor just entered. As they got up to greet him, Yuta shot him an indescribable look and muttered something in Japanese under his breath, rolling his eyes at Jaehyun again. 

 

“How’s it going with Sicheng?” Jaehyun asked as they took their seats again. Yuta sighed. He looked at his textbook, dejectedly, and sighed again.

 

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

 

Jaehyun eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t say anything. He looked to the front of the lecture hall, expecting their usual Dr. Sharma to begin the lesson by complaining, but found another teacher in his place. 

 

“ _ Ajeeb hai _ ,” Someone whispered from the back, and he couldn’t agree more.

 

\---

A muffled scream. Muffled curses, muffled pleads.

 

“Lying doesn’t suit you, Dr. Sharma.”

 

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _

 

More curses. More pleads, more screams.

 

“Don’t you always tell your students not to plagiarise?”

 

_ Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. _

 

Silenced pleads. Silenced screams, silenced curses.

 

_ Thud. _

 

“Time’s up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jayenge toh ayenge is 'only if we leave will we return'  
> ajeeb hai is 'it's weird'
> 
> tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Taeyong was tracing circles onto Jaehyun’s bare back as he slept, not facing the artist. 

 

“Do you ever think of the cheaters?” Taeyong knew he wasn’t asleep.

 

Jaehyun turned to face Taeyong, a look beyond puzzlement adorning his features. Taeyong halted his ministrations and looked up at Jaehyun through his eyelashes, his gaze scrutinising. 

 

“What are you, Lee Taeyong?”

 

“What am I, Jung Jaehyun?”

 

\---

Ten fixed Johnny with an adoring stare as he attempted to put up some semblance of breakfast for his boyfriend, clearly trying his best. Still half-asleep, Ten whined, wordlessly asking Johnny to come back to bed. Johnny complied, turning off the stove and walking to the bed, where he was attacked by a cuddly Ten. 

 

A few beats of silence passed, then Ten spoke up. “I want you to meet my best friend. And that’s a big deal, just so you know.”

 

“But I’ve already met Taeyong...” Johnny looked at Ten questioningly, adjusting himself to be at level with him.

 

“You’ve met him as my crush, not as my boyfriend. It’s different,” Ten insisted, hooking his legs over Johnny’s.

 

“You introduced me to Taeyong as your crush?” A teasing undertone was present in Johnny’s words. He wrapped his arms around Ten and held him tight, which made the dancer squirm. “You’re so cute.”

 

Ten blushed and muttered a small ‘stop’ under his breath before answering the question. “I did, actually. I’ve liked you for a while now, and I tell Taeyong everything, so…” He trailed off, turning to face the wall rather than Johnny.

 

“I've liked you for a while too,” Johnny lightly tugged at Ten's waist to turn him over, but he didn't budge. 

 

“Tennie, what's wrong?” After as few more tries, Johnny had given up, choosing to envelope Ten in his embrace. 

 

“It's just.. kinda weird, I guess. I don't really do this kind of thing,” Vaguely, Ten answered. He sighed and turned over, coming face-to-face with a concerned Johnny. 

 

“You don't really do what?” Johnny asked, his voice soft and tone gentle, as if Ten was revealing some big secret, which, maybe, he was. 

 

“Attachments,” It was a bit hard to concentrate, considering Johnny’s face was so close that Ten could feel hot breath fanning over his skin everytime he as much as exhaled. Nevertheless, he explained himself. “I've had a few bad experiences with relationships, so I don't trust people all that easily. But I trust you, Johnny… and it's new and scary and I really, really want this to work out. It's just… a lot to think about, you know?”

 

Johnny let him finish, then hummed in agreement. “I can't say I understand,” He sighed, and his vision focused somewhere on his carelessly-painted wall. “But I'm equally scared and I also really, really want this to work out,” His gaze returned to Ten's. “We'll figure this out together, okay?”

 

Ten smiled shyly in return, mumbling a small 'okay’ before burying his face into the juncture between Johnny's neck and shoulder, lightly grazing the offending collarbone with his nose. Johnny pulled Ten closer, his pathetic attempt at breakfast forgotten.

 

\---

 

“Hey! Yuta, wait up!”

 

As Yuta left his last class for the day, he heard someone call for him. A very  _ specific  _ someone. He inhaled, preparing himself, and turned around, the approaching footsteps becoming louder and louder.

 

“Hi, hello,” Sicheng greeted, breathless. “I’ve been looking for you since yesterday,” He took a deep breath and regained his composure. “About the date-”

 

“It’s okay,” Yuta cut in.

 

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry I didn’t show up. There was a bit of a family emergency I had to deal with,” Sicheng explained, punctuating his words with exaggerated gestures.

 

Silence passed between them, and it was not the comfortable kind. Yuta cleared his throat awkwardly, waiting for Sicheng to continue.  

 

“I’d like to make up for it.”

 

“Oh,” Yuta blushed, his gaze suddenly fixated on a stain in the concrete ground, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

 

Sicheng’s face broke into a small, close-mouthed smile as he let out a giggle. “When are you free?”

 

“Now. I’m free now.” Yuta’s smile mirrored the joy Sicheng’s had, and they walked side by side to the tragic campus cafe.

 

\---

 

“Where were you, Winwin?”

 

“I had a date,” Sicheng smirked, examining his nails with the aura of a ‘trashy, bitchy hoe’, as Donghyuck had so eloquently supplied.

 

“What the fuck?” Mark’s expression was one of poorly veiled shock, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. “And who wants to date  _ you _ ?”

 

“Spare him, Mark. They probably haven’t spent enough time with him… They’ll find out how insufferable he is soon enough.”

 

Mark groaned, pulling at the rope that determined Sicheng’s well being. It unfurled, letting Sicheng drop to the floor with a dull thud.

 

The last rays of the sun filtered through the barred windows of the room, the pungence of damp cement palpable and acknowledged. Irregular stains of unknown origin climbed up the walls, ranging from dark crimson to paling greys. A non functional ceiling fan groaned occasionally, dangling dangerously from a thin wire, the only support it had while holding up Sicheng’s weight. The ropes that had once held him captive hung loosely from the fan’s blades. The three occupants of the abandoned dance studio waited with bated breath for the aged device to fall to its demise, but the groaning stopped and the fan leveled itself.

 

“I don’t understand why this is still the punishment for showing up late,” Sicheng released the breath he had been holding, turning to face the one in charge.

 

Through the tainted wall of mirrors that covered a side of the room, only the superior’s back was visible, a lean figure clad in black with a mop of streaked strawberry blond hair.

 

“It’s terrifying,” The figure spoke.

 

“Stop being dramatic, Haechan. Turn around,” Mark sighed, clearly done with his boyfriend’s antics. The figure returned the sigh, albeit much more dramatically, and turned around.

 

“What do you know, Winwin?”

 

\---

 

“So Sicheng does like Yuta,” Taeil sipped on his  _ nariyal paani  _ as Doyoung paid the vendor. It was late evening, and the sky coated the city with a harsh blue. The streetlights overhead flickered from time to time, the natural illumination much preferred over the ugly, yellow glow they spread.

 

“Seems like it,” Doyoung faced Taeil with a similarly decapitated coconut in his hands, and they made their way to a nearby bench on the roadside.

 

“I didn’t expect that…” Taeil trailed off, enjoying the light breeze before it becomes polluted. He watched as cars sped by, ignoring the speed limit of meagre value. 

 

Doyoung hummed in agreement, draining his coconut and disposing of it. “What of Jaehyun and Taeyong, now?” He returned to the bench.

 

“Let them be,” Taeil said, flatly. 

 

“I heard Ten also has a boyfriend now,” Doyoung shuffled closer to Taeil, leaning on his shoulder.

 

“Who is it?” He prompted, playing with the fingers of Taeil’s free hand.

 

“Johnny Seo. Do you know him?” Taeil answered, fully aware of his boyfriend’s disinterest.

 

“Yeah. Jaehyun’s mentioned him,” Doyoung absentmindedly said. They sat in silence as Taeil finished his drink, content and unaware.

 

\---

 

“I didn’t ask him, you know.”

 

“I know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nariyal paani is coconut water. It's served in the coconut itself, so they cut off a bit of it and shove a straw inside.. you can look it up
> 
> A lot of fluff this chapter!! I LOVE soft johnten!!
> 
> Tell me what you think!!


	6. Chapter 6

“Exam season is around the corner…”

 

“I’m well aware.”

 

“Is that why you’re planning to take a five-day vacation?”

 

Taeyong huffed, his eyes supporting a look of clear unamusement. “What’s it to you?”

 

“Nothing, I just - I don’t know,” Jaehyun trailed off, from where he was seated on Taeyong’s bed. Back against the headboard, a steaming cup of coffee nestled between his hands, and with his entire bare chest on display; he looked quite the part for the distraught lover. Which - he had to remind himself - he wasn’t.

 

“I’ll be back before you know it, okay?” In a significantly softer tone, Taeyong addressed him. He had turned around from where he was busy with his packing, meticulously pilling neatly-folded shirts atop one another.

 

Jaehyun pouted, mumbling a small ‘okay’ before focusing on his coffee. 

 

Taeyong sighed as he came to sit beside Jaehyun on the bed. He took one of Jaehyun’s hands from where it gripped the coffee cup, curling their fingers together. “It’s alright. I’ll be fine, Hyunnie. You don’t have to worry.”

 

“You know what exam season means, don’t you?”

 

“I do,” Jaehyun finally turned to face him, nodding in acceptance. Acceptance of his opinion’s insignificance, of his worry’s magnitude, of his unacknowledged admiration. 

 

Taeyong smiled slightly. “Don’t miss me too much.”

 

“I never said I would.”

 

“You didn’t have to.”

 

\---

 

“I know you probably don’t want to hear this,” Yuta started off, catching up to Jaehyun as he walked to the dance studio.

 

“You’re right, I do not want to hear your voice,” Jaehyun sped up, comically increasing his pace.

 

“No, no, wait! It’s about Taeyong!” At this, Jaehyun turned, halting to a stop.

 

“Hurry up, he’s leaving soon.”

 

“Okay so, I did some more research. His mom’s a part of NCT, right?” Jaehyun nodded. “Wrong. She got kicked out.”

 

“Why do you know this?”

 

“The dark web.”

 

Jaehyun began walking again. 

 

“There’s more!” Yuta called after him, again.

 

“I don’t want to hear it.”

 

“Liar,” Yuta reached him. “They’ve been after her for a while now, but they can’t seem to catch her. And why is that?” Yuta prompted.

 

“Because she has great security…?”

 

“Because she has something they want! Listen to this-”

 

“Yuta, I really don’t have time for your conspiracy theories now,” Jaehyun cut him off, clearly annoyed. Yuta’s nose scrunched up in offence, but he smoothened his features in mock understanding. “Fine, I guess.”

 

Jaehyun walked away, shaking his head.

 

\---

 

“I tried to tell him, but he didn’t listen. What a dumbass,” Yuta huffed into his coffee, causing the coffee’s foam in his cup to flare up and settle back down.

 

Sicheng hummed, impatiently tapping his fingers against the faux-shiny surface of a campus cafe tabletop.

 

“And he doesn’t even care. God knows what Taeyong is up to,  _ lekin nahi _ , he doesn’t care,” Yuta was working up an argument now. Sicheng sighed before he spoke up.

 

“Have you ever considered he cares too much?” His comparatively sweeter coffee arrived, and he looked at Yuta over the brim of his cup as he took a sip, clearly challenging.

 

“What, that he  _ like _ likes Taeyong?”

Sicheng nodded.

 

“Yeah, he does. That’s established.”

 

“So maybe he’s just worked up about him leaving?” He spoke slowly, persuading Yuta to drop the subject. Yuta complied with a nod of acknowledgement.

 

They sat in silence for a while, just sipping their coffees, with the fifty-something creep hovering around them. Once the silence became particularly unbearable, Yuta stood up. “Let’s get out of here.”

 

“Thank god,” Sicheng sighed dramatically, downing his coffee in one go and standing up, too.

 

Yuta cracked a crooked smile. “You’re eager to leave, aren’t you?”

 

“No, I’m just glad you didn’t say ‘let’s get it’. I would’ve dumped you,” Sicheng laughed, carelessly.

 

Yuta’s smile diminished slightly.

 

\---

 

“I’m telling you, they’re up to something.”

 

“Drop it, Taeil. You have three tests tomorrow.”

 

“But I’m concerned,” Taeil whined from where he was seated on Doyoung’s bed, banging his fist down on the mattress in emphasis. His textbook jolted at the impact. Doyoung huffed out an exasperated sigh and leaned back in his Very Cool Swiveling Chair™ . Taeil glared at him. 

 

“What do you want?” Doyoung gave in.

 

“Mark and Haechan are onto Winwin. I don’t think Yuta’s safe.”

 

“That’s…” Doyoung bit his bottom lip thoughtfully, “What do they know?”

 

“Winwin told them he had a date. Then I saw them snooping around campus. I’m pretty sure they know it’s Yuta,” Taeil explained, and Doyoung nodded along. “The thing is, they don’t know Yuta, they only know  _ of _ him. He’s safe, for now.”

 

“Yeah,” Doyoung chuckled, his eyes downcast. “I suppose he is.”

 

Taeil turned back to his textbook, seemingly satisfied with the discussion. Doyoung just stared at him.

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing,” Doyoung muttered, eyes back on his assignment.

 

Taeil looked unimpressed. “What happened?”

 

“It’s nothing…” He reinforced, a small pout set on his lips.

 

Taeil closed his textbook and got up, walking over to the desk and turning Doyoung’s chair to face him. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I’m just,” He sighed, his hands rubbing his eyes, then proceeding to knot in his raven hair. “Stressed out, I guess. I don’t know.”

 

“Did something happen?” Taeil hoverd near the desk, awkwardly leaning over it to look at his boyfriend.

 

“No, not really,” Doyoung got up, and Taeil’s eyes followed him. Taking Taeil’s hand, he lead them both to the bed. “It’s hard, you know?”

 

Taeil nodded along, unsure but supportive.

 

“Jaehyun is… we’re keeping him in the dark, and that doesn’t sit well with me. He’s my best friend, I don’t like keeping things from him. It was easier with Yuta, he isn’t stubborn. He can accept these things. Jaehyun can’t. Now I don’t know if it’s because of his past experiences or whatever, but it’ll be so much harder to make him understand.”

 

“That is if he finds out, right?”

 

“But he will! When it was just me, it was fine. Now he has Taeyong, and Yuta, and by extension, you and Sicheng. He’s surrounded by us, he’ll figure it out one day!” Doyoung had resorted to whisper-shouting, an unconscious habit had he developed, for the ‘secure transfer of sensitive information’.

 

“So be it! He’ll get over it!” Taeil mimicked his tone, creating an odd sight of two almost-adults arguing in ridiculous proximity.

 

“It isn’t that easy, Taeil,” Doyoung sighed, and his voice returned to a distinguishable volume. “He’s not here because the courses are good. He’s here as an escape.”

 

“What are we going to do, then?”

 

“I really don’t know.”

 

\---

 

“You know what’s interesting? He knows a lot, but he can’t read the signs.”

 

Mark hums thoughtfully, taking a slow bite of his chips.

 

“Like, he knows that Taeyong is involved, but he can’t guess to what extent. He doesn’t question where Yuta gets his information from. He’s kind of stupid, isn’t he?” Donghyuck continues, after a sip of his orange juice.

 

“Yeah, but maybe he knows something’s up. What if he doesn’t want to believe it? We know enough about him to say he won’t approve of Taeyong’s actions,” Mark adds on, and Donghyuck nods.

 

“But what’s it to us? Really, it’s Taeyong’s problem,” Donghyuck finishes his orange juice, and Mark empties his chips packet.

 

“It most definitely is.”

 

\---

“What did you tell your little boyfriend?”

 

“How do you know about Jaehyun?”

 

A sour look on a pretty face.

 

“I have my sources.”

 

A sigh.

 

“Get over it, Hansol. We were nothing.”

 

“If you say so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lekin nahi is 'but no' is a more dramatic sense.
> 
> if anyone's reading, please tell me what you think!!


	7. Chapter 7

“You don’t have to do this, hyung,” Mark’s voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear. 

 

“I do.”

 

“Hyung, it’s alright. It’ll work out. This is really unnecessary,” Donghyuck tried to argue from over his shoulder.

 

“It won’t.”

 

A trigger was pulled. A body fell to the floor. 

 

\---

 

“It's been 84 years…”

 

“It's been five days, you dramatic bitch.”

 

“I did miss you,” Jaehyun managed, before he leapt into Taeyong’s arms, effectively pushing them down onto his bed.

 

Taeyong laughed slightly, then groaned under Jaehyun’s weight. “I know you did. Please get off, or you won’t have me to miss.”

 

“And you called me the dramatic bitch,” Jaehyun’s words were accompanied by a roll of eyes, but no bite.

 

Taeyong playfully sneered at him, nose scrunched up and eyes crinkling. Jaehyun took the opportunity to peck him on the lips, and they were back to their routine.

 

\---

 

“So, how was exam season?” An aged feminine voice layered with metal spoke.

 

“I didn’t go, you know that,” Jaehyun said to his mother.

 

“It’s not as bad as you think it is… you should give it a try,” She was trying to be subtle about how much she wants him to be there, but Jaehyun’s endured enough of this to know this is her way of manipulation-slash-guilt-tripping. 

 

“I’m not attending your villain conventions, mother.”

 

“They’re not ‘villain convent-”

 

“Sorry, they’re  _ auditions _ .”

 

He heard his mother sigh over the line.

 

“You know I’ll support you in anything you do, Yoonoh.”

 

“I know, Ma.”

 

“-So you should maybe consider supporting me too?”

 

“I-” Jaehyun resisted the urge to practise the Punjabi curses he’d learnt, settling for a sigh similar to his mother’s. “I’ll talk to you later, bye.”

 

He didn’t notice the shadow that slinked away from him.

 

\---

 

“Kim Dongyoung, you have a boyfriend?” Jaehyun addressed his half-asleep best friend as he barged into his room, picking up something very out of the ordinary.

 

“It’s too early to have this conversation, Jaehyun. Go away,” Doyoung argued from under his sheets, another body very noticeably present beside him.

 

“‘Dongyoung?’” The amused voice of the bed’s other occupant came. Doyoung huffed, throwing a pillow at said occupant’s face, effectively silencing them. 

 

Jaehyun was still at the doorway, leaning against the frame and craning his neck to get a better look at the invader in Doyoung’s bed. When his sight caught matted red hair, he gasped, his wide eyes supporting an incredulous look.

 

“Moon Taeil!” After overcoming his initial shock, Jaehyun groaned, then elaborated with a nonchalant, “I owe Yuta two thousand,” and a huff of frustration.

 

An amused silence ensued. Taeil sat up, in all his bed-haired glory, and expelled Jaehyun from the room, who left, eventually, after some convincing of his ‘pure intentions’ with Doyoung.

 

“He’s.. a bit of a handful.”

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

\---

 

“You don’t look very well…” Concerned, Jaehyun stepped into Taeyong’s dark room, where all light was banned from entering through the closed curtains and turned-off light switches.

 

“Why, thank you. You don’t look that great either,” Taeyong attempted, but his insult was ruined by how nasal his voice was.

 

“Have you taken anything yet?” Jaehyun ventured into the room, choosing to disregard Taeyong’s previous words.

 

“Just Crocin.”

 

“Who told you to take crocin for a cold?” He sounded genuinely perplexed, which didn’t affect Taeyong’s mood at all, definitely not.

 

“You can take crocin for anything… it’s like, the laws of medicine or something,” Taeyong slithered further into his sheets.

 

Jaehyun huffed and rolled his eyes as he climbed onto the bed, nudging a reluctant Taeyong to the side before lying down next to him.

 

“You’ll get sick,” Taeyong said, voice muffled and barely audible from the heaps of blankets he was under.

 

“It’s fine, I’m not particularly looking forward to submitting my overdue assignments…” Jaehyun replied, and something about the room made him feel sleepy.

 

“Stay then.”

 

So he did.

 

\---

 

“Markie Markie Mark!”

 

“What do you want, Haechan?”

 

“Attention!”

 

Mark sighed. They were at work, well, not  _ at _ work, but they were working. From the rooftop of a building which was filled with students, attempting to pick out a specific student, and take him out. Not in a fatal way, but in more of a ‘you have some explaining to do’ kind of a way, as their boss had ordered them. Who, very conveniently, was the one asking for attention.

 

Mark sighed. Again. 

 

A few minutes of relative silence passed, until Haechan let out a small ‘aha’ and trained his rifle at a honey-haired boy.

 

“I thought we weren’t shooting at him,” Mark whisper-shouted to him.

 

“Change of plans,” Haechan shrugged, and pulled the trigger.

 

The boy stumbled at the impact, then gave the two on the rooftop a comically affronted look before falling to the ground.

 

\---

 

“Hey! Sicheng!” Yuta called to his boyfriend from where he stood, a short walk from the building Sicheng had just exited.

 

Sicheng didn’t turn, so Yuta decided to walk up to him. Which was when Sicheng fell to the ground with a large, red splotch on the front of his shirt.

 

Yuta ran to him, panic-stricken and confused, and knelt beside him. A frustrated groan left Sicheng’s lips, and Yuta was even more confused.

 

“You’re okay?” Disbelieving, Yuta asked him. Sicheng replied with a simple nod.

 

“Fuck, now I need to buy a new shirt,” Sicheng sat up with ease, and laughed slightly at Yuta’s expression.

 

“It’s just a paintball, relax. They don’t have the nerve to kill in public,” He dismissed lightly, and stood up.

 

“Well? Are you gonna keep gaping at me?”

 

“I- uh, no,” Yuta promptly got up, too.

 

“Come with me,” Sicheng beckoned, and Yuta followed.

 

\---

 

They reached an old building, probably one of the old performing arts college. It looked quite harmless from the outside, all cream coloured walls and wooden panels. At a closer inspection, though, its age showed through the cracks in the walls and the panels. Sicheng picked the padlock guarding the door with practiced ease, and inconspicuously slipped inside with Yuta in tow. Calmly, he walked the length of the building to a large staircase. Yuta caught up with him at the first landing leading down, whose path only proceeded in to suspicious darkness.

 

“Where are we going?” Yuta timidly questioned.

 

“You’ll see.”

 

Sicheng led them down the stairs to a vast basement. One of its walls was lined with tinted mirrors, reflecting the bare room. There were a few fans overhead, all noticeably damaged beyond repair, dangerously dangling from their cables.

 

“Who’s this, Winwin?”

 

The voice came from behind them, and Sicheng inhaled deeply before turning to face the speaker.

 

“This is Yuta. He saw me getting shot,” He explained, then held out his hand for Yuta to take. “He’s my boyfriend.” 

 

“You owe me!” A gleeful exclamation broke the sombre atmosphere, and three heads turned to regard an excited raven-head.

 

“Hi Yuta! I’m Mark,” He introduced. Yuta nodded, bewildered.

 

“This is Haechan,” Mark continued, pointing at the speaker who had previously addressed him, “And you know Winwin.” Mark concluded, gesturing to their hands.

 

“Winwin?”

 

“It’s.. a stage name.”

 

\---

 

“So, you’re telling me you’re like, what, an assassin?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Cool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! is anyone still reading this?  
> writer's block, as you know, is a bitch  
> anyways, i hope you enjoyed the chapter! sorry for the wait!!  
> please leave comments they're like,, my only motivation to continue this fic


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! it's been... a few months. i'm sorry, i had honestly lost interest in this fic, but i'm back now!! thank you to everyone who's stuck around <3 i hope you enjoy the chapter!!

“Jaehyunnie…”

“Go away.”

“Come on…”

Silence.

“Jaehyunnie..” Taeyong tried again, and this time Jaehyun turned.

“What?”

“Get up, you have class today,” He murmured into Jaehyun’s neck, sending shivers down his spine.

“Don’t you?” Jaehyun inquired, but his words were eaten up by Taeyong’s lips meeting his in a lazy kiss.

After a few minutes of languid making out, Jaehyun pulled away. He stumbled out of bed, determined to reach the door. His quest was only cut short by the series of coughs which erupted from him, due to which he dragged himself back to Taeyong’s unnatural warmth.

“Fuck you, now I’m sick,” He whined, pulling the covers over himself.

“Your fault. You decided to stay,” Taeyong shrugged, nestling closer to Jaehyun.

They slept through their morning classes.

\---

“Taeyong!” Ten called out as he entered his best friend’s room. “I got your fav… oh.”

Taeyong shushed him from where he was sat at his desk, scribbling away on a sheet of paper. After a few moments of silence, he seemed to be finished with his scribbling. He beckoned Ten over, who cautiously walked to the desk from the doorway.

“What is it?” He whispered. Taeyong shrugged, letting him read the messy Hangul. Ten huffed in frustration.

“Well?” Taeyong prompted, tone soft and demanding. Ten handed him the shopping bag he was carrying, and Taeyong pulled a black object from it. He examined it, then opened his desk’s drawer to reveal a similar object. He compared them, then came to a conclusion.

“I like the one Sicheng brought.”

“Excuse me?” Ten whisper-shouted, offended.

Taeyong shrugged, then handed the object back to him.

“But this cost me so much!” Ten whined, dramatically waving his hands around.

“You’ll wake him up, Ten. Keep your voice down,” Taeyong glared. “This shouldn’t have cost you anything, by the way.”

“It was two trips on the metro,” Ten insisted. His friend sighed, then handed him a new 200 rupee note.

“This should cover it,” Taeyong smiled fauxly, well aware he was just bribing Ten to leave at this point.

Ten smirked and accepted the payment, sashaying out of the room with a skip in his step. Taeyong let out a breath and glanced at the firearm in his drawer. He didn’t have to use it. 

Yet.

\---

Later that afternoon, Jaehyun awoke for the second time. There was a slight throbbing pain behind his eyes, but not much else. He got out of bed and stretched, his clothes oddly tight against his skin. That’s when he realised they weren’t _his_ clothes, but Taeyong’s. He didn’t want to know if the cause of his red ears was his cold or something else.

“You’re awake,” Taeyong mildly commented from where he was seated at his desk, typing away on his laptop. Jaehyun very much wanted to kiss him, because a Taeyong with bed hair wearing round glasses was not a sight he’d see very often. It wasn’t good for him either, judging by the way his heart rate accelerated.

“I am,” He replied.

“I suggest you back to your room. Maybe shower or something,” Taeyong was clearly preoccupied, his tone flat and dismissive.

Jaehyun wanted to complain, but he remembered his place, so he settled for a deep sigh. He walked to the door, purposely slow, in vain hope of Taeyong stopping him. But Taeyong didn’t even acknowledge him.

“I’ll see you later,” Jaehyun tried, once again, to get Taeyong’s attention.

“Okay,” Taeyong looked over at him, and if he noticed Jaehyun’s apparel, he didn’t comment on it.

\---

Taeyong hurriedly entered a classroom after having lost his way three times. _Damn history classrooms and looking the same_. As the door slammed shut behind him, two people looked up. They were seated across each other at one of the many desks, pouring over a set of documents and a few photographs, all complete with little green post-its here and there.

“Sorry I’m late. Lost my way,” He explained before taking the teacher’s chair. “How are we progressing?”

“Well,” Ten said. “Things are going as planned.”

“Okay.” Taeyong took the papers handed to him. “When will they find Sharma ji’s body?”

“Tomorrow, hopefully, but I don’t trust those cleaning guys.who knows when they’ll show up.”

“Not our problem,” Taeyong dismissed. “Who’s next?”

Johnny handed him a different set of papers. “Nakamoto is onto us.”

“Hmm,” Taeyong acknowledged. “Do you think it’s because of Winwin? Or did he find us himself?”

“We think he found us himself, but you can’t be sure.” Johnny spread out a set of photographs across the teacher’s desk. They contained several shots of Yuta in, well, places he shouldn’t be: Sociology lectures, the rooftop of the Economics building, near the abandoned Performing Arts building.

“Alright. Anything else?”

“Haechan and his little gang are involved, but that was your dumb fault, so we’re not addressing it.” Ten hopped onto the newly empty desktop, cleared of all the papers that had inhabited it.

Johnny eyes him wearily as the desk groaned under his weight, but didn’t say anything.

“Is that all, then?” Taeyong began organising the papers strewn in front of him.

“No, a couple more things,” Johnny said. “Taeil and Doyoung have been complacent lately, we’re not too sure what to do with them.”

“Revoke their discount coupons.” Taeyong waved an uninterested hand in Johnny’s direction. “They’ll come crawling back.”

Johnny looked like he wanted to protest, but thought better of it. He’d been dealing with Taeyong for a while now.

“You’ve been assigned another hit.” Ten said suddenly.

Taeyong snorted. “You know I only take assignments from-”

“Your mother, yes, we know.” Ten rolled his eyes. “She’s assigned another hit.”

“When does it have to be done?” Taeyong asked, as his leg began bouncing up and down.

“You have a week.” Ten answered.

“And who is it?”

“Jung Jaehyun.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic!!! Feedback is appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


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